<html>
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8">
<title>Optional references</title>
<link rel="stylesheet" href="../../../../../../doc/src/boostbook.css" type="text/css">
<meta name="generator" content="DocBook XSL Stylesheets V1.79.1">
<link rel="home" href="../../index.html" title="Boost.Optional">
<link rel="up" href="../../optional/tutorial.html" title="Tutorial">
<link rel="prev" href="io_operators.html" title="IO operators">
<link rel="next" href="optional_references/rebinding_semantics_for_assignment_of_optional_references.html" title="Rebinding semantics for assignment of optional references">
</head>
<body bgcolor="white" text="black" link="#0000FF" vlink="#840084" alink="#0000FF">
<table cellpadding="2" width="100%"><tr>
<td valign="top"><img alt="Boost C++ Libraries" width="277" height="86" src="../../../../../../boost.png"></td>
<td align="center"><a href="../../../../../../index.html">Home</a></td>
<td align="center"><a href="../../../../../../libs/libraries.htm">Libraries</a></td>
<td align="center"><a href="http://www.boost.org/users/people.html">People</a></td>
<td align="center"><a href="http://www.boost.org/users/faq.html">FAQ</a></td>
<td align="center"><a href="../../../../../../more/index.htm">More</a></td>
</tr></table>
<hr>
<div class="spirit-nav">
<a accesskey="p" href="io_operators.html"><img src="../../../../../../doc/src/images/prev.png" alt="Prev"></a><a accesskey="u" href="../../optional/tutorial.html"><img src="../../../../../../doc/src/images/up.png" alt="Up"></a><a accesskey="h" href="../../index.html"><img src="../../../../../../doc/src/images/home.png" alt="Home"></a><a accesskey="n" href="optional_references/rebinding_semantics_for_assignment_of_optional_references.html"><img src="../../../../../../doc/src/images/next.png" alt="Next"></a>
</div>
<div class="section">
<div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title">
<a name="boost_optional.tutorial.optional_references"></a><a class="link" href="optional_references.html" title="Optional references">Optional
      references</a>
</h3></div></div></div>
<div class="section">
<div class="titlepage"><div><div><h4 class="title">
<a name="boost_optional.tutorial.optional_references.overview"></a><a class="link" href="optional_references.html#boost_optional.tutorial.optional_references.overview" title="Overview">Overview</a>
</h4></div></div></div>
<p>
          This library allows the template parameter <code class="computeroutput"><span class="identifier">T</span></code>
          to be of reference type: <code class="computeroutput"><span class="identifier">T</span><span class="special">&amp;</span></code>, and to some extent, <code class="computeroutput"><span class="identifier">T</span> <span class="keyword">const</span><span class="special">&amp;</span></code>.
        </p>
<p>
          However, since references are not real objects some restrictions apply
          and some operations are not available in this case:
        </p>
<div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; ">
<li class="listitem">
              Converting constructors
            </li>
<li class="listitem">
              Converting assignment
            </li>
<li class="listitem">
              InPlace construction
            </li>
<li class="listitem">
              InPlace assignment
            </li>
<li class="listitem">
              Value-access via pointer
            </li>
</ul></div>
<p>
          Also, even though <code class="computeroutput"><span class="identifier">optional</span><span class="special">&lt;</span><span class="identifier">T</span><span class="special">&amp;&gt;</span></code> treats it wrapped pseudo-object
          much as a real value, a true real reference is stored so aliasing will
          ocurr:
        </p>
<div class="itemizedlist"><ul class="itemizedlist" style="list-style-type: disc; ">
<li class="listitem">
              Copies of <code class="computeroutput"><span class="identifier">optional</span><span class="special">&lt;</span><span class="identifier">T</span><span class="special">&amp;&gt;</span></code> will copy the references but
              all these references will nonetheless refer to the same object.
            </li>
<li class="listitem">
              Value-access will actually provide access to the referenced object
              rather than the reference itself.
            </li>
</ul></div>
<div class="caution"><table border="0" summary="Caution">
<tr>
<td rowspan="2" align="center" valign="top" width="25"><img alt="[Caution]" src="../../../../../../doc/src/images/caution.png"></td>
<th align="left">Caution</th>
</tr>
<tr><td align="left" valign="top"><p>
            On compilers that do not conform to Standard C++ rules of reference binding,
            some operations on optional references are disabled in order to prevent
            subtle bugs. For more details see <a class="link" href="../dependencies_and_portability/optional_reference_binding.html" title="Optional Reference Binding">Dependencies
            and Portability section</a>.
          </p></td></tr>
</table></div>
<h6>
<a name="boost_optional.tutorial.optional_references.overview.h0"></a>
          <span class="phrase"><a name="boost_optional.tutorial.optional_references.overview.rvalue_references"></a></span><a class="link" href="optional_references.html#boost_optional.tutorial.optional_references.overview.rvalue_references">Rvalue
          references</a>
        </h6>
<p>
          Rvalue references and lvalue references to const have the ability in C++
          to extend the life time of a temporary they bind to. Optional references
          do not have this capability, therefore to avoid surprising effects it is
          not possible to initialize an optional references from a temporary. Optional
          rvalue references are disabled altogether. Also, the initialization and
          assignment of an optional reference to const from rvalue reference is disabled.
        </p>
<pre class="programlisting"><span class="keyword">const</span> <span class="keyword">int</span><span class="special">&amp;</span> <span class="identifier">i</span> <span class="special">=</span> <span class="number">1</span><span class="special">;</span>            <span class="comment">// legal</span>
<span class="identifier">optional</span><span class="special">&lt;</span><span class="keyword">const</span> <span class="keyword">int</span><span class="special">&amp;&gt;</span> <span class="identifier">oi</span> <span class="special">=</span> <span class="number">1</span><span class="special">;</span> <span class="comment">// illegal</span>
</pre>
</div>
</div>
<table xmlns:rev="http://www.cs.rpi.edu/~gregod/boost/tools/doc/revision" width="100%"><tr>
<td align="left"></td>
<td align="right"><div class="copyright-footer">Copyright © 2003-2007 Fernando Luis Cacciola Carballal<br>Copyright © 2014-2021 Andrzej Krzemieński<p>
        Distributed under the Boost Software License, Version 1.0. (See accompanying
        file LICENSE_1_0.txt or copy at <a href="http://www.boost.org/LICENSE_1_0.txt" target="_top">http://www.boost.org/LICENSE_1_0.txt</a>)
      </p>
</div></td>
</tr></table>
<hr>
<div class="spirit-nav">
<a accesskey="p" href="io_operators.html"><img src="../../../../../../doc/src/images/prev.png" alt="Prev"></a><a accesskey="u" href="../../optional/tutorial.html"><img src="../../../../../../doc/src/images/up.png" alt="Up"></a><a accesskey="h" href="../../index.html"><img src="../../../../../../doc/src/images/home.png" alt="Home"></a><a accesskey="n" href="optional_references/rebinding_semantics_for_assignment_of_optional_references.html"><img src="../../../../../../doc/src/images/next.png" alt="Next"></a>
</div>
</body>
</html>
